Somewhere in the general area of Washington D.C., Dan Quinn is probably still smiling. Somehow, with a rebuilt offense and defense, a new coaching staff, and a rookie starting quarterback Quinn has the Washington Commanders at 2-1. They are also tied for first place in the NFC East.
The cherry on top of the parfait is that the Commanders are one game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys after three weeks of the 2024 season.
It’s far too early to say anything is decided — especially with 14 more games yet to be played — but Quinn is on track to have the last laugh. Especially with Dallas’ defense imploding and the offense starting off slowly every week.
Toss in the Eagles not exactly looking unbeatable, their own 2-1 record notwithstanding, and Quinn has good reason to be happy.
One thing that can’t be denied is that the Commanders are off to a good start.
Here’s the state of the NFC East after three weeks.
Dallas Cowboys (1-2)
You hate to say a game in the fourth week of the season is a must-win, but here we are. After falling short in a furious fourth-quarter rally against Baltimore on Sunday, the Cowboys cannot afford to lose to the Giants on Thursday.
For the second-straight game, the Cowboys’ defense got run over, on the field and on the scoreboard. The offense was non-existent for most of the game.
That cannot happen against the Giants.
The Cowboys are hoping their offense has broken out of the funk it was in for seven quarters.
Dak Prescott had around 200 passing yards in the final quarter. He needs to replicate that, but in the opening quarter instead.
The entire Cowboys’ offense needs to play the first half like they did in the fourth quarter against Baltimore. The defense needs to play like it did against Cleveland to open the season.
The Cowboys’ two-game losing streak has provided one positive. Dallas now has two new scores to add to its scoragami numbers.
Both the 44-19 loss to the Saints last week, and the 28-25 loss to the Ravens on Sunday, were the first time that Cowboys’ games had ended with those scores.
Dallas now has 418 unique final scores among its 1,051 total regular season and playoff games. Dallas stands at 599-446-6 all-time in the regular season and playoffs combined.
The Cowboys are 563-415-6 in the regular season going into Thursday’s game.
Next game: at the New York Giants, Thursday, 7:15 p.m.
New York Giants (1-2)
The Giants managed to get into the win column, albeit against the Browns, but it was a win. They are also no longer all alone in the NFC East’s cellar.
They have a chance to put the Cowboys down there all by themselves with a win on Thursday.
Daniel Jones has been playing well for New York as of late.
He’ll try to avenge last year’s nightmarish season-opener when the Cowboys trounced the Giants 40-0.
It will be interesting to see if New York follows the blueprint established by the Saints and Ravens when it comes to the Dallas defense. If so, Devin Singletary might be in line for a huge game.
Next game: vs. the Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, 7:15 p.m.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
The Eagles went to New Orleans on Sunday and stole a win. There’s no other way to describe it. Philadelphia had no business winning that game.
The Saints offense, which looked unstoppable in the first two weeks of the season, vanished against the Eagles.
Their coach bungled the game as well, eschewing a field goal for a 6-0 lead in a game where points just weren’t going on the scoreboard.
The Saints defense had contained Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the Eagles’ offense for three quarters. Then they folded in the final quarter.
A long touchdown run by Barkley gave Philadelphia a 7-3 lead and then Hurts led his team on what turned out to be a game-winning drive and a 2-point conversion.
Derek Carr was hamstrung by the loss of two of his offensive linemen, but he just didn’t get it done in the first three quarters. He should have put the game well out of reach long before the fourth quarter began.
Next game: vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Noon.
Washington Commanders (2-1)
If you drafted Jayden Daniels in your fantasy league, congratulations.
Along with the Washington Commanders, you are likely on top of your league’s division. If you played against him this week, my condolences.
For the Commanders, Daniels had a breakout game on Monday Night Football against the Bengals in a 38-33 victory.
Daniels went 21-for-23 for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He added another score and 40 yards on 11 carries.
His last pass was a 27-yard dime to Terry McLaurin that sealed the game with just over two minutes remaining. McClaurin finished with 100 yards on four catches.
Daniels snatched a rookie record from Prescott in the win. His 91.3% completion rate broke Prescott’s 88% record from 2016.
More importantly, Washington is now tied for first in the NFC East with the Eagles. Had the Saints not collapsed late in their game against Philadelphia, the Commanders would have been in first all alone.
Next game: at the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Noon.